Bharat Rakshak

Katare wrote:

Rahul M wrote: pvt tuition !
primary teachers at the lower end of the scale can gather anything between Rs 1-2k pm.
secondary and higher secondary can easily go up to 10-15 k pm. in cities that amount can touch 50k easily.

Rahul,

That is extra money but they still have to work for it. It's not bribe aka free money.

The open threat to the students (science subjects) that if they don't take tuitions then they'll be unfairly dealt with in practicals is worse than bribery. It is downright extortion. That's my experience in KV's, rest of the state/central schools are worse.

Counselling critics of reservation in Indian institutions like the IITs to take a long-term view of the delicate social issue, Nobel
laureate Amartya Sen on Sunday said the justice component in quotas could not be wished away, as many sections of Indian society had been denied access to education for centuries.

Arjun skirts IIT council on chiefs
- Minister picks 4 directors on his own
CHARU SUDAN KASTURI
Arjun: Appointment trouble

New Delhi, Dec. 26: The human resource development ministry has chosen to ignore the IIT council — the highest decision making body of the IITs — in selecting institute directors, a job legally entrusted to the council.

Government documents accessed by The Telegraph show the HRD ministry had turned down proposals from its own officials to call meetings of the council on more than one occasion over the past two years.

Instead, as chairman of the IIT council, HRD minister Arjun Singh approved the appointments of at least four directors without involving other members, the documents suggest.

The IIT Act of 1961 specifies that the council is the body entrusted with appointing directors.

It does not mention any executive powers of the chairman of the council — specifically, it does not grant the chairman any power to take decisions on behalf of the council.

On Tuesday, Madras High Court had struck down the appointment of IIT Madras director M.S. Ananth. Citing the IIT Act, the judge set aside Ananth’s appointment as it was approved by the ministry and not by the IIT council.

Internal ministry documents, however, reveal that officials had proposed calling meetings of the council at least twice over the past two years.

The proposals cite the fact that the IIT council cannot be ignored under the IIT Act, and suggest writing to all council members to fix an appropriate date and time for a meeting.

The HRD ministry had turned down each proposal.

Instead, Arjun approved the appointments of at least four IIT directors — including Ananth’s reappointment in 2007 — without consulting any council member.

The council consists of the directors and chairmen of the board of governors of the IITs and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, heads of scientific bodies and secretaries to ministries.

It also includes three members of Parliament, a representative of the Confederation of Indian Industry and the chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education.

Council members confirmed that they had been ignored by the HRD ministry, though some requested anonymity.

“Ignoring IIT council members in taking decisions pertaining to the institutes is akin to a public sector company working as a proprietary possession of an individual or a group of individuals,” said Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, Biju Janata Dal MP and member of the IIT Council.

The HRD ministry has not bothered to explain why it has not called meetings of the council, said Ananta Nayak, BJP member of Parliament and also a council member.

“There is certainly a hint of wrongdoing in the manner in which the IIT council is being completely ignored,” Nayak said. Milind Deora of the Congress is the third MP in the council.

The head of one of India’s top science research bodies said he felt “useless” being in the council.

“The truth is that the government has reduced the council to a state where it exists only on paper. Our job as the top decision-making body for the IITs has been robbed by the government,” the official said.

The chiefs of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Chennai Mathematical Institute, Central Scientific Instrument Organisation and the Prime Minister’s chief scientific adviser, C.N.R. Rao, are among the members.

Based on Arjun’s approval, the HRD ministry had approached the office of the President for sanction to each of the appointments. The President, as visitor to the IITs, is the highest authority on the institutes.

Once the President’s approval was obtained — single-sentence communications merely stating that the visitor had approved the appointment — the ministry approached the chairman of the IIT board of governors.

In each case, the board chairman issued a formal invitation to the “appointed” person to take over as director.

“There is certainly a hint of wrongdoing in the manner in which the IIT council is being completely ignored,” Nayak said. Milind Deora of the Congress is the third MP in the council.

The head of one of India’s top science research bodies said he felt “useless” being in the council. “The truth is that the government has reduced the council to a state where it exists only on paper. Our job as the top decision-making body for the IITs has been robbed by the government,” the official said.

SaiK wrote:agree with you Stan, but the court is not wrong as well!

Madrasa certificates will now be CBSE equivalent
Anubhuti Vishnoi

New Delhi: In a move that goes a long way in mainstreaming Madrasa students across the country and help clear their way to higher education, the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry is all set to grant madrasa certificates equivalence to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

A key recommendation of the Sachar committee — and also on the PM’s 15-point programme for minorities — a special panel set up by the Ministry recently recommended that in states where madrasa certificates are recognized as equivalent to secondary and senior secondary level, these should also be granted equivalence by the CBSE.

The notification is expected soon and will benefit some 7000 madrasas and 3.5 lakh students in seven states that have madrasa boards: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam and West Bengal. This will also apply to madrasa certificated already issued.

In states without a madrasa board, the panel has recommended that students should have an option to approach a madrasa board in a neighbouring state to avail of the CBSE equivalence.

For enrolment of madrasa students in post-graduate courses, universities like Jamia Milia University, Jamia Hamdard and Aligarh Muslim University recognise graduation certificates from madrasas for select courses. The committee has recommended that this should be replicated across universities and for all courses. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has also constituted a committee to look into the issue.

somnath wrote:
Is it the most relevant system anymore? To address the "new India"? Isnt new India a more egaliatarian, meritocratic and materialistic? The India I grew up in is, and all the kids I see growing up now even more so. A "tribal", "clubby" setup may not be the best solution for the times.

Its a bit like the foreign banks of yore, or the "boxwallah" companies of Calcutta. Admission was nearly restricted to a certain "social" category, and business conducted was in the same lines. Club loyalities mattered more than educational, and dinner table manners were the most important part of the training! They have changed now (the banks have, the Calcuta companies didnt and went extinct!). The IA too has changed I am sure. But the question is, has it changed enough?

Singha wrote:afaik the entry criteria to get a profs job in IIT is atleast 3 papers in refereed journals, 5 papers in conferences, a Phd, a high academic track record. I heard there is considerable interest from indians who did Phd abroad for these faculty jobs (scene may be different in
CS/EE where there is lot of jobs in corporate sector abroad). I was also told its tough to find people matching these criteria locally. and that HoD/Deans had authorization to create reqs if deserving candidates were found at anytime.
[a] is that true?

are there enough willing Phd+ returness to fill out this massive expansion of IIsc/iit/Nit/IIM?

Rahul M wrote:AFAIK, prospective institutes look for the cumulative impact factor of published papers rather than simply the number.

Stan_Savljevic wrote: I guess they need to do a little more creative seek and deliver mission. Not to the point that they harass people, but certainly to the point that they need to advertise more. They need to reach out to graduating/upcoming students/postdoc + bigshot faculty more. It is a kiss-ass mission, lets not mistake things here. People will be more willing to think more creative options like faculty positions in India if they feel like they will be "kings of their own jungle" type. I dont see that quite yet. The people I have talked to have certainly been nice, warm and welcoming when I broached India-return topic. But they have not actively sought things from me. In some sense, the diffidence is understandable. It is a bit of a controversial topic to talk to esp in an Indic context. But it is not like I am asking folks to keep pestering others, just ask passing-by and move on if no opportunities arise. The thinking as I got in an email response from someone big and up is this: "If someone wants to return, they will. Dont bug them till then." My IMO: "Makes sense in 1980s, not in 2008-9."

Bade wrote: Many of the top institutes in India are reluctant to do the same. There is a bit of ego of getting rejected on both sides, hiring and the job seeker.

The market even in the US is oversupplied. The Universities always have the upper hand in this market. For every faculty job advt in Fizziks there are hundreds of prospective applicants

Hundreds of deemed universities have sprouted across the country, but if the report of the Yash Pal committee appointed by the prime minister, is accepted and implemented, there will be no more such universities. "Deemed university system has become exploitative. These institutes charge huge fees, but have not been successful in providing quality education to our students. Besides, most members feel that they give a very different projection of the university system," said a committee member.

Initially, just three institutions - the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, the Indian Statistical Institution and PUSA in Delhi, were recommended for deemed university status for their academic excellence. However, since then, the number of deemed universities have grown at an extraordinary rate. State governments have no control over them. In fact, while March 2002 to 2006 saw central and state universities growing by 11 per cent and 22 per cent respectively, deemed universities grew by 96 per cent, according to data available from the ministry of human resource development.

The high-profile 27-member national committee is likely to meet in February and finalize its report before submitting it to the ministry and the prime minister's office. In a draft report, a copy of which is with this paper, members have stated that universities must be treated as self regulatory bodies, not subjected to inspections from any central regulatory bodies. Moreover, the University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which have called the shots in higher education for decades, should make way for a single body. The UGC was set up in 1956, while the AICTE came into existence in 1987. Committee members have also stated that the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, that accredits colleges across the country, be disbanded and state-wise bodies be set up.

Suggestions in draft report:
1) Practice of according status of deemed university be stopped.
2) Universities to be treated as self regulatory bodies not to be subject to inspections from any central regulatory bodies.
3) Creation of accreditation bodies within states.
4) No single discipline or specialised university to be created. All universities to have a full range of knowledge areas.
5) Institutions of excellence like the IITs be recognised as universities which shall act as pace-setting universities and model governance systems for all universities.
6) Integration of functions of existing regulatory systems into one single Council for Higher Education which should be an academic body.
7) Universities to be made responsible to decide on the academic content of professional courses. Professional bodies like the Medical Council of India, Bar Council, and the like, to look after the qualifications required in the respective fields.

In a move that could help revive higher education in science, the University Grants Commission and the Delhi University have promised to look favourably into a suggestion by three national science academies for starting a four-year BSc course after which a student would be able to enrol for a dual MSc and PhD course. Those wanting to opt out a year after enrolling in the dual course would get an MSc degree.

If the new system works well once implemented, it could also be extended to humanities, especially economics, sources said. Many prominent universities are expected to adopt the new four-year system. Welcoming the suggestion, UGC chairperson Sukhdeo Thorat said, "We will discuss it soon in the full commission meeting." He said the suggestion should be expanded to include a provision for those pursuing science to simultaneously do a course in humanities and share the credit.

"It's a great idea," Delhi University vice-chancellor Deepak Pental told TOI. "We will look into it. First we would like that infrastructure of our colleges improves. Introduction of four-year BSc programme would bring science education at a par with the US system. But first we will introduce the semester system."

Three academies —Indian Academy of Science, Bangalore, Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, and the National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad — that decide on science education in the country had proposed in October, 2008 that the American model be looked at seriously.

Under the proposed system, students in the first year will get a grounding in the core science streams before specializing and choose their electives. The thrust will be on encouraging a richer, inter-disciplinary approach instead of the text-oriented, unidimensional BSc that is currently being followed. At present, a biology student does not and cannot study maths, and vice versa, due to rigid structures. The report presented by the academies on January 12 states, "In recent years, specialized subjects such as biotechnology, bioinformatics, information technology and computer science etc are being introduced as substitutes for fundamental subjects like biology, physics or mathematics. This practice is hollowing the foundations of a core science education."

Over the years, there has been a growing concern about the flagging interest in science subjects in higher education. As a result, HRD ministry had set up four Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, but the move now is to make science education more job-oriented as well as to encourage research at undergraduate level in colleges. National Academy of Sciences president Ashok Misra said the four year programme would be close to an engineering degree. "The course would emphasize on practical and project work and hence would be more professional. Our engineers are lapped up by industry, why shouldn't it be the same with our science graduates? Also, a quality programme will allow bright students to take up a PhD immediately after they graduate, thus saving them a year," he said.

India takes a more insular view
India's government has earmarked money for higher education. But it is also tabling a bill to limit foreign universities' presence

The Indian government wants more people to go to university and to improve the quality of education that is offered, but with a population of over a billion the country faces an enormous challenge when it comes to widening access to higher education.

To help bring about change the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, has called for a return to the traditional strengths of higher education and set out a new five-year plan that involves building 50 more universities and hundreds of new colleges, following on from the creation of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in the 1960s. India has about 400 universities and about 18,000 colleges and this includes both the state and private sectors. In the past decade there has been a sharp increase in the growth of private colleges and universities.

Dr Singh has said that the government is committed to a "quantum leap" in higher education, which is "at the threshold of a new era". The government has allocated 19% of GDP to fund education. With these changes the higher education participation rate is predicted to rise from 10% to 15% by 2012, which adds up to an extra 6-7 million students, but the worry is that even if the plan succeeds, there will still be too few university places to meet the demand.

Although Mike Thornton, operations manager of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (Ukieri), which aims to improve education links between India and the UK, worries that many would say the plan is too little, too late, he believes the situation can be fixed. "After 40 years of neglect, Universities UK along with the abroadnew Education Forum created out of Ukieri are addressing how UK universities can assist with faculty development."

A small elite
The university system in India is based on a pyramid structure, with a handful of high-quality providers at the top. This originated with the establishment of universities at Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Allahabad
and Lahore between 1857 and 1902, modelled on the British universities of the time. Today the top universities in India are Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Calcutta, the Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management. In the state sector there are central universities and state universities run by India's Ministry of Education.

The quality of higher education providers has long been an issue in India, says Thornton. "None of the traditional high-quality providers get into the Shanghai top 100 and thousands of other providers are attempting to meet the ever-increasing demand as disposable incomes rise."

Dr Subir Sinha, senior lecturer in development studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, says many students would rather go abroad than study in the unregulated private sector or the state sector in India.

He thinks one of the major stumbling blocks to improving the quality of higher education has been the lack of funding for staff salaries: "Pay scales for academics are below the national average, but this is being addressed by the new pay commission and salaries are currently rising at 50%-70%." It has been difficult for academics to manage on their salaries, he says, but this is changing. "There is now going to be an expansion of subsidised housing for academics and this will be an incentive for them to stay working in India," he says.

Another problem has been the brain drain — students and lecturers leaving India to head for the UK or the US. But Sinha thinks this is changing: "The flow of academics out of India has now gone into reverse — they are going back to India."

To meet the demand for access to higher education many foreign countries — including the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand — are interested in setting up campuses in India. Sinha sees this foreign investment as "vital" but the Indian government is cautious about this overseasinfluence. The highly regulatory Foreign Educators Providers (FEP) bill is currently waiting to go through parliament.

Thornton says UK universities want to work in India to "strengthen their international collaborations through fresh ideas, recruiting and seconding staff and students and accessing new markets for courses". But if the Indian government makes the whole process of running collaborative courses and setting up campuses in India prohibitively interventionist and expensive, these providers will simply lose patience. "Foreign universities will spend their money elsewhere," he cautions.

Another major challenge for India's universities over the next few years is to increase the use of ICT. In terms of distance learning, the larger cities are well plugged into the internet, says Dr Sinha, but there is a problem with the electricity supply in many small towns: "There is a lack of penetration of ICT in small town states but, once power issues are solved, computers will become more widespread and ICT literacy will follow."

He cites one example that sums up the problem. "My brother-in-law teaches computer literacy in a small town — they have lots of computers but don't have connection to electricity for seven hours a day."

Singha wrote:afaik the entry criteria to get a profs job in IIT is atleast 3 papers in refereed journals, 5
papers in conferences, a Phd, a high academic track record.

Make military education must
DH News Service,Mysore:

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam has advised compulsory military education for youth up to 17 years in order to imbibe discipline among them. “This will help in creating disciplined family which in turn leads to a disciplined nation,” he added.
Participating in the Republic Day celebration and the golden jubilee celebrations of the JSS D Ed College in Suttur on Monday, Kalam said in eleven years India will be on the threshold of 2020 and onus is on youth and teachers to give India a ‘distinctive profile’.
Kalam urged them to plug the divide between urban and rural areas and also to provide value education.
He said merit should be the sole criterion for higher education rather than the social categorisation in the 2020 India. Agriculture, food processing, infrastructure and equitable access to power and water would also define the empowered country in 2020, he said.
He urged the teachers to help students earn distinctive personality in their primary schooling, which cements their personality. Remembering his teacher Shiva Subrahmaniyam Iyer, Kalam said he not only taught him Science but gave him a vision to work for development of the nation. Later, he answered several queries posed by the students.

A few months ago I read a New York Times article on South Korean cram schools that said

Admission to the right university can make or break an ambitious young South Korean.

A parent added:

"In our country, college entrance exams determine 70 to 80 percent of a person's future."

It was striking how old fashioned this sounded. And yet when I was in high school it wouldn't have seemed too far off as a description of the US. Which means things must have been changing here.

What cram schools are, in effect, is leaks in a seal. The use of credentials was an attempt to seal off the direct transmission of power between generations, and cram schools represent that power finding holes in the seal. Cram schools turn wealth in one generation into credentials in the next.

Large organizations can't do this. But a bunch of small organizations in a market can come close. A market takes every organization and keeps just the good ones. As organizations get smaller, this approaches taking every person and keeping just the good ones. So all other things being equal, a society consisting of more, smaller organizations will care less about credentials.

That's what's been happening in the US. That's why those quotes from Korea sound so old fashioned. They're talking about an economy like America's a few decades ago, dominated by a few big companies. The route for the ambitious in that sort of environment is to join one and climb to the top. Credentials matter a lot then. In the culture of a large organization, an elite pedigree becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This doesn't work in small companies. Even if your colleagues were impressed by your credentials, they'd soon be parted from you if your performance didn't match, because the company would go out of business and the people would be dispersed.

Stan_Savljevic wrote: It is hard to start doing a PhD past 26+ cos one is thinking of family, career, cash-flow etc.

So whether one likes it or not, the vast majority of PhD folks start doing it right after their B.X degree or within a year or two. Essentially 21-23. What is the maturity level of folks who can decide they want to spend the next 5-7 yrs of their lives getting a PhD? Somewhat questionable IMO.

True again. So is this not a paradox....

In fact, I am fan of the idea that one should go out and work a bit to get a sense of what's what before one does a Ph.d. But this is not practical, especially for desis coming to the US.

In fact, if one truly has a ' I want gyan' mindset which is fundamental for a Ph.d, I have to believe that they would find multiple areas all very interesting.

Singha wrote: I would wager a great chunk of top-100 "jee studs" who didnt go for phd are in wall street, not in karporate r&d labs(a dwindling pool) or in engineering.

Singha wrote: having fun with "boys" is hardly on the agenda.

its some kinda H&D thing there.